Draw-bar rigging.



No. 725,550. PATENTBD APR. 14, 1903.` R. W. FOX.

DRAW BAR RIGGING. Y APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 15. 190m 2 SHEETS-SHEET' 1.

No MODEL,

No. 725,550. PATENTBD APR. 14, 1903. R. W. FOX. DRAW BAR RGGING.

APPLICATION FILED Dnc. 15. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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a1/vn? nanou NiTED STAT-ns PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD W. FOX, OF AL'IOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 4 TO AWILLIAM BILLING, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAW-BAR RIGGING..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,550, dated April 14, 17903.'

l Application filed December 15,1902. Serial No. 135,280. (No model.)

T0 ttf/Z whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, RICHARD W. FOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona', in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Draw- Bar Rigging, of which the following is a specication. 5

My invention relates to draw-bars for coup- 1ers and is an improvement on the draw-har rigging for which application for United States Letters Patent was made February 8,

1902, Serial No. 93,167, to which reference is had.

My present improvement relates more especially lto means' for permitting a lateral swinging motion of the couplerwhen coup'- ling on a curve and means for providing'a combined spring and air-cushion adapted to more effectually take up and break the force of impact when two cars come together, thereby greatly prolonging the life of both the coupler and-,draw-bar rigging.

As in my former application, my improve ments are shown as applied to the Janney coupler, though they could be used with any couplers of the Well-known Master Car-Buildf ers type.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure lis a persective View of the under side of a car, showing my improvements in position, the bottom plate being removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of my improved coupler. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of a portion of my improvements, illustrating the connection of the castings to thegchannelbeams of a car. Fig. 4` is apsectional view drawn substantiallyyon the line 4 4 ofV Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the castings. Fig. 6 is aperspective view illustrating my improved buffers inuse' upon the end of a car. Fig. 7 is a det-ail sectional View of one of the slidin g members of my buffer. Figs. 8, 9, and l0 are views illustrating my improved buffer in detail, and Fig. llis a detail sectional view drawn through the eX- treme rear of the draw-bar. I

The present improvement is designed especially for use' with steel cars, and in the.

drawings, A represents the bottom of such a car having the channel-beams A and the side and end beams A2, usually U shaped, the end beam being cut away at Aa to permit the draw-bar B to work therethrough. This draw-bar has the laterally-projecting studs B', the rearwardly-projecting` shank B2, 55

'Y threaded at its rear end vto receive the jam-v nuts B3 B4 and surroundedI by the spiral spring B5, bearing at its rear end on the jamnuts and at its forward end against the rear side of theguide-block B6, all of whichu are 6o fully shown and described in the application for Letters Patent above referred to.

In Fig. 5 I have shown an improved casting C, longitudinally slotted at C and perforated at O2, the slot and perforation beingsur; rounded by a reinforcing-boss OS. `Adjacent its lower edge the casting is perforated, as at G4, while a series of notches C are formed along its upper edge. The castings are secured on each side of the draw-bar, being 7o firmly bolted to the channel-beams, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The castings are placed in position adjacent the draw-bar, the studs B resting inthe slot O and the trunnions B7 ofl the guide block "fitting into the perfora- 75 tions C2.

The bottom plate D, Fig. 4, not being in position and the bolts A3 of' the beams A' being removed, the draw-bar and castings are lifted into position, andthe notches C5 will t 8o over the bolts A4 and the bolts 'A3, and the bottom plate D can then be placed in position, thus securely holding the draw-bar in place, while the bolts A4, the nuts of which can be tightened after the bar is in place, serve to hold the casting against the longitudinal strain due to the impact and weight of the cars.

In Fig. 1l I have shown a detail view of an end cap E, having a threaded shank E', in- 9o tended to protect the threads of the rear end of the shank B2. The shank has a threaded recess at its end in the rear of the jam-nuts, into which fits the threaded shank E of the cap-piece. In the rear of this end cap is positioned the buer. (Shown in section in position in Fig. 2 and in perspectivedetailin Figs. 8, 9, and lO.) This buffer comprises a rectangular plate F, perforated at F adjacent each corner, and a cylinder F2, which roo can be cast integral with the plate, the central portion of the latter formingthe rear end of the cylinder. The cylinder is perforated, and a bracket F3 is attached to the cylinder adjacent the perforation, said bracket carrying a valve F", which comprises a stem, a coiled spring around same, and a valve-head adapted to be seated in the perforations and normally held there by the force of the spring.

The cylinder Fis open at its forward end, and slidingly fitting within same is a cylinder F5, open at its inner end and having an integral outer reduced end of considerable thickness, which contacts with the cappiece E, the cylinder F5 acting as a piston. A longitudinal groove F5 extends along the greater length of the lower side of the cylinder F5, and a threaded bolt F7, which passes through the cylinder F2, extends into this groove, and as the groove does not extend to the inner end of the cylinder F5 its movement in an outward direction is limited to the length of the groove. A rectangular plate F8, angled at each end, is secured between the channel-beams and has perforations F9 alining with the perforations F', through which the two plates are bolted together. A coiled spring F10 bears at one end against the end of cylinder F2 and at its opposite end against the end of cylinder F5. The rear of the cylinder F2 is perforated, and within the cylinder is located a hap-valve F11. When the spring Fwforces the cylinder F5 outward, air is drawn into the cylinders and compressed, when the last-mentioned cylinder is again forced inward. The spring and compressed air form together a combined spring and pneumatic cushion, against which the rear end of the draw-bar bears. The object of the safety-valve F4'is to prevent bursting of the cylinders in the event of the cars coming together with more than usual force, in which case a part of the confined air would escape through the valve. In order to make the cylinders perfectly air-tight, a packing-ring maybe bolted to the inner end of the smaller cylinder.

The coupler G is formed with curved rearwardly-extending ears G, centrally perforated, which fit over the reduced perforated end of the draw-bar B and are secu red thereto by the bolt G2. On each side of these ears the coupler is recessed to form sockets G3, in which are secured the ends of coiled springs G4, their opposite ends bearing against the front end plate G5 of the draw-bar head. On each side of the coupler are secured buffers, comprising the two cylinders H H', the latter sliding in the former, and these buffers are similar `in construction to the buffer located in the rear of the draw-bar, the cylinder H' being grooved at H2 corresponding with the groove F5, into which extends the pin H3, corresponding to the pin F7, and these cylinders contain a coiled spring similar to the spring F10, and are filled with compressed air, the cylinder H being provided with a safety-valve H4, this cylinder being cast with a plate H5, which is angled and bolted to the front and under faces of the car-sill.

The forward end HG of the cylinder H is enlarged to form a buffer-head of suitable size and strength.

It will be readily seen that the above-described arrangement and construction provide `a very efficient draw-bar rigging, readily applied, by reason of the notches formed on one side of the casting O to steel cars and that the buffers placed in the rear of the draw-bar and at the sides of the coupler will break the force of the blow given by the cars coming together, thus increasing the life of the car, and also that the coupler connection to the drawbar head will permit lateral movement of the couplers in coupling on a curve, the springs G4yieldingly resisting such swinging motion.

Having thus fully described my invention,

vwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a draw-bar, of a forwardly-open cylinder, a rearwardly-open cylinder sliding in and projecting from the first-mentioned cylinder, the sliding cylinder being longitudinally grooved a portionof its length, a stop-pin extending through the wall of the first cylinder and into the groove of the second cylinder and a coiled spring in said cylinders adapted to resist rearward Inoveinent of the sliding cylinder.

l 2. A draw-bar rigging comprising a rectangular casting perforated along its lower edge and notched along its upper edge, the casting having a longitudinal slot and a circular aperture, and bosses formed on one side of the casting, said bosses surrounding the slot and aperture, respectively.

3. The combination with a draw-bar, having a head-plate and reduced and extending in advance of the plate, of a coupler having rearwardly-extending ears pivotally secured to the reduced end ofthe draw-bar, said coupler having sockets formed on each side of the draw-bar, and springs secured at one end in said sockets and at their opposite ends to the head-plate.

4. A draw-bar rigging comprising a plurality of springs seated at their outer ends in sockets formed in a coupler, their inner ends bearing against the head-plate of the drawbar, side castings having notched upperedges, a cap-piece threaded into the rear end of the draw-bar, and a telescopic cylinder adapted to contain com pressed air and to yieldingly resist rearward movement of the draw-bar,

substantially as described.

' RICHARD XV. FOX.

Witnesses:

H. L. JoNEs, F. W. CALLAN.

ICE

IIO 

